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FOOD FACTS 




MBTROPOLITAN LIFE 
INSURANCE COMPANY 



FOOD FACTS 



BY, 

DONALD B. ARMSTRONG 

M.D., M.A.,M.S. 




Printed and Distributed by the 

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company 

For the use of its Policy-holders 

1917 



The author takes this opportunity to 
acknowledge the generous assistance 
of his associates in the preparation of 
this booklet. Special mention should 
be made of the many helpful sugges- 
tions regarding diet and cooking 
by Professor Henry C. Sherman and 
Dr. Graham Lush, as well as by 
Miss Lucy H. Gillett of the New 
York Association for Improving the 
Condition of the Poor. 



Copyright, 1917, by thb Mbtropolitan Lips Insurance Company 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER ONE 

Where to Buy 

CHAPTER TWO 

How to Buy Cheaply 

CHAPTER three' 

Clean Food and Disease 
Prevention 

CHAPTER FOUR 

Wise Food and Health 

CHAPTER FIVE 

Cooking Foods 

CHAPTER SIX 

Good Food Habits 

3 



DO YOU WANT TO KNOW 
ABOUT FOODS? 

In BUYING food, you ought to 
know: 

How to Buy 
Where to Buy 
When to Buy 
What to Buy 

In SELECTING and USING 
food, you ought to know: 

How to Choose a Safe Food Store 
How to Select the Food You Ne^d 
How to Keep Food Clean and Sweet 
How to Cook to the Best Advantage 
How to Avoid Food Dangers 
How to Get the Most Food Value 
for the Money 

This booklet tells you these 
things. 

4 




Where to Buy 



w 



HAT kind of a food store What Your 

should you patronize? Of ^^^^ ^^^^^ 

r J ^ Should Be 
course your rood store 



should sell pure products. In addi- 
tion, it^can comply with the law and 
supply clean food at low prices: 

1 If through being clean very little is 
wasted by rotting, etc. 

2 If the dealer buys in large quan- 
tities, and gives you the advantage 
of lower prices. 

5 



3 If you pay cash, so that nothing is 
lost because of unpaid bills. 

4 If you take your things home, so 
you do not have to pay the expense 
of delivery. 

Does your store do these things f Are 
the bread and vegetables covered? Is 
the floor clean? Are the clerks healthy? 

Get Your You are entitled to cleanliness and 

z},^^^ rr ^oodi protection in your butcher shop. 
Clean Up . , ,. . .,, 

in your delicatessen, in your milk store 

and wherever you buy food. Remem- 
ber that the stores where you trade 
will clean up if you object to J:he dirt. 
Tell your grocer and your butcher 
/ that things will spoil and rot if he does 
not protect his foods from dust, dirt, 
flies and dirty hands. This means that 
his show-cases should be covered, that 
his packages should be carefully 

6 



wrapped, and that his cuts of meat 
should be kept in the ice-box and not 
on hooks outside. 

CLEAN FOOD PAYS because ///s 
people like to buy clean food. Your Cheaper to 
butcher, your milk dealer or any one Clean 
else can increase his business by hav- . 
ing a clean, safe and decent store: 

1 Because he will have more cus- 
tomers. 

2 Because his stock will keep better. 

3 Because he will be saved trouble 
with the Board of Health by obey- 
ing the law. 

Three things go together: cleanli- 
ness, good business and LOW 
PRICES TO YOU. 

Buy clean food from a clean store. 

Tell your neighbors to do this too. 



The Pound 
Price Is 
a Great 
Saving 




How to Buy Cheaply 



I 



N a clean store where the bins are 
dust and vermin proof it is safe to 
buy certain things by the pound. 
It is not only safe but a great saving 
to do this. The table on the next page 
shows how much more you can get of 
some things at one food store if you 
buy from the bin instead of by the 
package. 

OLEOMARGARINE is cheaper 
than butter. Most people do not 
object to the taste of oleomargarine 

8 



on bread and no one objects to it in Oleomar- 

cooking:. It is cleaner than some S^^^^^ ^^ 

, , Uood and 

butter and contains just as much food Cheap 

value. It is made from fat and has to 

be made from fresh material— butter 

can be made from material that is not 

fresh. Look at the difference in cost: 

For the cost of one pound of but- 
ter you can often get one and a half 
pounds of oleomargarine. 

Try it. Ask the grocery clerk to 
show you the package. 

ARTICLES AdvertisedPackage ^Z<Z7 

Price and Quankiy ^^ ^Jj^ 

Farina 10 cents 1 lb. 2 lbs. 

Oatmeal 10 cents li lbs. 2i lbs. 

Yellow Meal and Hominy 10 cents If lbs. 3 J lbs. 

BREAD. You can save money in 
buying bread if you use the day-old 
bread. This contains just as much 
food value as fresh bread and is 

9 



Ask Your better for you. If you live in the city 

tsaner ror y^^j. nrrocer can get day-old bread 

Day-old [ u- 1 1 j n • 

Bread trom his baker and can sell it to you 

much cheaper than fresh bread. Ask 

him for it. 

Buy in Buy your foods in as large quan- 

{luati I les |.j[|.j^g ^g yQ^ }^^y^ space to keep them 

at home — you can usually get things 
cheaper this way. This is especially 
true in the winter time and applies to 
such things as cereals, canned goods, 
potatoes, flour, sugar, etc. Even 
though you buy your foods where 
they do not deliver, you will save 
money by hiring a boy with a cart or 
baby carriage once a week to take 
things in larger quantities to your 
home for you. 



10 




Clean Food and 
Disease Prevention 



T 



O preserve health, CLEAN YourHealth 

FOOD is important. That is ^^^^^^es 

, 111 1 Clean Food 

why we have the laws about 



clean food and why the food stores 
must obey them. 

REMEMBER that dirty, dusty, 
fly-specked, much-handled food may 
carry tuberculosis, typhoid fever 
and diarrheal disease or summer 
complaint. 

11 



How to One- tenth of all the people die 
^ from tuberculosis. Typhoid fever 

Food caused 332 deaths last year in New 
York City alone. 3,173 babies died 
from diarrheal disease or summer com- 
plaint last year in New York City, or 
one in every 44 babies born. 

A certain number of these deaths 
was due to unclean food. That is why 
clean food is important. To get clean 
food : 

1 Insist at the store and at home, on 
food protected from the three dan- 
gerous F's: Filth — Flies — Fingers. 

2 Buy your groceries, meats, fish, 
milk, vegetables, etc., from a store 
where they fight the three deadly 
D 's : Dirt — Disease — Death . 
Another thing that is important is 

decent food. Indecent and dirty food 
is food covered with dust, food to 

12 



which flies have carried dirt and dis- 
ease germs and food that unwashed 
hands have handled. 

You may get ^istzsc— typhoid fever 
and tuberculosis — this way, but even 
if you escape that, do you want to eat 
fruit or candies or meat upon which 
flies, probably from a near-by garbage 
pail, have feasted? 

Remember that milk with the "real Babies 

country taste" is often dirty milk. i!J"^^ ^f.^f 

Clean Milk 

For babies, in particular, you must 
have decent, clean milk. Use milk that 
comes in bottles. Use pasteurized 
milk — milk that has been heated to 
kill disease germs. 

If a clean store is important, so is a 
clean home. You want CLEAN 
FOOD IN YOUR HOME because 
(1) It prevents disease, (2) It prevents 
waste and saves money, (3) It is decent. ^ 

13 



y 



Remember The main points to be remembered 
These „.„ jjj, 



Points 



are tnese : 

1 Put covers and screens over your 
food to keep oii flies and dust. 

2 Keep the milk covered and cold. 

3 Wash your hands before you eat! 
This means hot water and soap. 

4 Do not handle food any more than 
is necessary in the shop or at home. 

5 Do not allow sick relatives or 
friends to prepare or handle food 
to be eaten; don*t allow the nurse 
for a sick member of the family to 
handle food without washing her 
hands. 



14 




Wise Food & Health 

IN NEW YORK CITY alone last What Foods 
year there were 76,000 deaths Shall I Buy? 
altogether ; about two out of five 
of these could be prevented if we all 
did the ri^ht things. This means that 
there were about 760,000 cases of 
sickness, one-half of which could be 
prevented if we did the right things. 
We have discussed dirty food and 
sickness* It is even more important, 
however, that our food be of the right 

kinds. 

15 



Rules for The amount of food which you 

Purchasing ^^^j depends on the kind of work 
Food ^ 

you are doing; not only the amount, 

but also the kind is important. To 

help you get the right kind of food, 

we suggest the following : 

Spend a fair amount of your total 
income for food. The ordinary city 
family of five people, with an annual 
income of $700, ought to spend about 
$300 for food. This means about $6 
a week, or about forty cents for food 
out of every dollar you have to spend. 

Buy the right things with the money 
you spend. It is found that a great 
many families do not get enough to 
eat, not because they don't spend 
enough money for food, but because 
they don't get enough food value for 
the money. It is found that these 
same families with no increase in their 

16 



food expenditures, but by spending A WelU 
the same amount of money in a ^^^^'^^^^ 
different way, could have sufficient 
food and be well nourished. 

Bread and cereals (with a reasonable 
amount of cheaper fats) give the most 
food value for the money — the more 
you wish to economize the mpre you 
ghould spend for these foods. 

To have a well-balanced diet, eat 
bread and cereals freely and spend 
most of the remainder of the money to 
be spent for food as follows : 

Spend as much or more 

1 For FRUIT and VEGETABLES 
as for meat and fish. 

2 For MILK as for meat and fish. 
Such a method of expenditure will 

give you a wise and safe diet. Figure 
out your expenditures and see how 
near you are coming to this rule. 

17 



Remember, as much or more for 
(1) fruit and vegetables as for (2) milk 
or (3) meat and fish ; the rest will take 
care of itself if you use plentifully 
such foods as bread, cereals, oleomar- 
garine, cotton-seed oil, etc. 



18 




Cooking Foods 



THE way things are cooked is 
very important for it affects 
food value, appetite and diges- 
tion. We would make fewer mistakes, 
especially as regards meats, if we 
cooked them according to their quality. 

ROASTING or BAKING in the Tender 
oven : Use a hot oven at first to sear Meat, such 

the outside quickly and thus keep in ^^ Steaks 
1 . . o 1 inn ^^^ Roasts 

the juices. Salt, pepper and tlour all 

over. Fat, not water, should be put in 

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the roasting pan and the meat should 
be basted frequently with this. 

To BROIL, hold over a very hot 
fire, searing first one side and then the 
other. Then reduce the heat and turn 
the meat frequently. Do not season 
until done, as salt draws the juice out. 

To PAN BROIL, use no fat, heat 

the pan to smoking, then sear the 

meat on both sides and broil as above. 

Medium STEWING (for good gravy and 

Tender good flavor) . Brown the meat in a f ry- 

Meat: Rump. . • i i . • i .. /i 

Round, etc ^^^ pan quickly to give better flavor 

to the stew. Put in boiling or cold 
salted water, boil five minutes, then 
reduce the temperature to simmering. 
Long, hard boiling makes meat fibers 
tough. For SOUPS, cut in small 
pieces, soak in cold water one-half 
hour without salting, then salt, bring 
slowly to the boiling point and boil 

20 



gently for from five to ten minutes. Tough Meat: 

Reduce to simmering and cook slowly. Shank. Neck, 

^. Shm.etc. 

A^cld vegetables, cut m small pieces, 

one-half hour before removing from 

the fire, and boil gently until done. 

Note: Avoid frying. Fried foods 
are hard to digest. If it must be done, 
use deep fat rather than shallow fat. 
Have fat smoking hot and enough fat 
to prevent soaking. 

Remember that tough meat is often 
cheap meat for it has good food value. 
You may have some left over after 
making soup, and this can be used in 
stews, or can be chopped up for use in 
croquettes, nieat balls, sandwiches, etc. 

Cook vegetables so as to make them 
as digestible and palatable as possible. 
Start in boiling, salted water. 

Vegetables with a pleasant flavor 
should be cooked in a small quantity 

21 



Cooking of water with the cover on the pan to 
Vegetables j^eep the flavor in the vegetable. On the 
other hand, vegetables with a strong 
odor may be cooked in a large quan- 
tity of water with the pan uncovered 
to draw out some of the strong flavor. 
Do not fry vegetables, especially in 
a small amount of fat. 

Save the water in which vegetables, 
such as potatoes, are boiled, for soups 
and meat gravies. This water has 
dissolved some of the most valuable 
food materials (especially salts) which 
may be saved in this way. 

Long soaking of dried vegetables 
in cold water will save fuel . Soaking of 
cereals in cold water overnight will 
save fuel. Cook in the water in which 
soaked. This method, however, necessi- 
tates constant stirring, while coming to 
the boiling point, to prevent lumping. 

22 



If started in boiling water, pour the Cooking 
cereal slowly into boiling salted water ^^^^^^ ^^^ 
and stir until as thick as mush. Then 
steam over boiling water until done. 
The longer the cooking the more 
digestible the cereal. Rice should not 
be allowed to cook until it is mushy. 

Dried fruits are very economical. Dried Fruits 
For one thing, you yourself add the 
water for which you pay in fresh fruit. 
To prepare, soak in cold water 24 
hours and cook slowly in the water 
in which soaked until tender. 

Let us emphasize here the greater 
value of fresh cooked fruits and vege- 
tables over the expensive "embalmed*' 
foods which you buy in the delicates- 
sen store. Further, food which is pre- 
pared at home can be eaten hot, which 
is much better for you than the cold 
delicatessen foods. 

23 



Things You 
Yourself 
Can Do 




Good Food Habits 



K 



RE you making the most of the 
food you eat? In earlier chap- 
ters we discussed the dan- 
gers of dirty food and of the bad 
choosing of food. 

There are many other things of 
importance in food hygiene which 
we now want to take up, such as the 
use of milk, water, etc. You will see 
that most of these are things which 
you yourself C3.n do. 

24 



One important food that is much Milk a 
neglected and misused is MILK, ^^^^^^f^l 
You will remember that in Chapter 
IV we pointed out that it is wise to 
spend as much money for milk as for 
meat and fish or for fruit and vege- 
tables. Remember that: 

1 Milk is a g^o(?^/ci(?^, one of the most 
perfectly balanced foods we have. 
Milk and eggs are the only foods 
which can supply practically all 
the needs of the body. 

2 Milk is a cheap food. You can get 
as much food in a quart of milk as 
you can in a pound of lean beef- 
steak. Besides', milk costs 11 cents 
and steak 35 cents. 

3 Milk contains also many valuable 
salts, which you have to have if you 
are to live normally, 

25 



Clean Milk 4 Milk is the most important food for 

and Healthy babies. In cities pasteurized milk 
Babies ., i i -n i t 

(heated to kill the disease germsj 

for babies should be bought in 
bottles or at milk stations. You 
should wash the top of the bottle 
before opening. It should be kept 
cold, should be used only when 
fresh and should be protected from 
flies and dirt. The number of 
babies dying can be greatly re- 
duced with a cleaner milk supply. 
Let Water WATER is another important 

Wash Away thing.' Remember that water is good 

Disease jj j . u 

externally and tnternally. 

It is important to drink plenty of 

water because it dilutes our food, 

improves digestion, gives the stomach 

and intestines a much needed** wash 

out*' and helps to keep our blood and 

tissues in good condition. 

26 



You should drink at least eight 
glasses of water a day, both between 
meals and with meals. It is all right 
to drink a little water with meals so 
long as you don't use it to wash the 
food down. 

Just a few words about other drinks 
taken as flavors or stimulants. 

1 Beers and liquors, etc. These are Other 

not desirable foods, because they Common 

, , , Drinks 

are expensive, and because they 

contain alcohol which is a poison- 
ous drug. They are responsible for 
much disease, crime, poverty and 
unnecessary death. 

2 Tea and coffee. These are stimu- 
lants, are bad if used to excess, 
causing nervousness, indigestion, 
etc. In addition they are particu- 
larly bad for children ,and are 
luxuries because they are not food. 

27 



3 Cocoa and chocolate. These are 
fairly cheap foods, are quite nutri- 
tious and not nearly so injurious 
as tea and coffee. Of course, these 
drinks, particularly chocolate, are 
rich and should be used moderate- 
ly, especially by children. 
In this country most people eat 
three times a day. But remember: 

Eat at 1 Eat at regular hours and not be- 

Meal Time— tween meals. . 

2 Do not eat too fast, but chew your 
food well. Remember that "your 
stomach has no teeth.'' 

3 Do not eat when excited or angry, 
for you won't be able to digest the 
food well. 

4 Do not '*wash down" your food 
with water, milk or coffee. It inter- 
feres with the digestion of the food. 
Drink after the food has been 
swallowed. 28 



Not Between 



It is the food digested not the food Taste Is 

swallowed, that really counts. Now, '^^S^^V 

,. e ^ II 'c* Important 

you digest rood much better it it tastes 

good, for that makes the digestive 
juices flow properly. 

Variety in eating is also important. 
A monotonous diet often does not 
contain enough salts. By salts we 
mean not only ordinary salts, but also 
other minerals as iron, calcium, phos- 
phorus, etc. They keep your blood 
and bones in good condition and if 
you do not get enough of them, sick- 
ness or even death may result. 
. Now, you do not get these salts 
separately, but you can be sure of 
getting enough if you eat plenty of 
vegetables, especially green and fresh, 
and fruits, milk, bread and cereals. 

In the digestion of food many 
things are left over, some of which are 

29 



Get Rid of poisonous and must be got out of the 
Fotsonous {^Q jy^ 'Pq gg^ these out you need some 

non- digestible, bulky material left in 
the intestines, material which will 
scrape the intestinal walls and stimu- 
late them to action. This is especially 
necessary if one is constipated. 

This bulk or **roughage'' you can 
get in such things as brown bread, 
the cereals, bran muffins, cabbage, 
apples, etc. 

You will remember the rules in 
Chapter IV about the selection of 
food in the store and about the wise 
purchasing of foods. Now, all this 
can, of course, be spoiled by having 
a one-sided diet — such as too much 
starch or sugar, or too much fat. 

REMEMBER that a good meal 
can and should be a wise meal. Good 
eating is wise eating. 

30 



REMEMBER that other and Building 
cheaper foods (eggs, milk, cheese, ^ ^^^ 
beans, split-peas, nuts, etc.) can take the 
place of meat and fish in a healthy diet. 

A Meat Meal: Codfish balls, spin- 
ach, bread and butter, cocoa, peanut 
cookies (home-made). 

Non-Meat Meals: Eggs scrambled 
in milk, potatoes, bread and butter, 
cheese and jelly. 

Split-pea soup (made with milk), 
bread and butter and stewed apricots 
(dried). ^ 

REMEMBER that only one kind 
of food at a meal makes tiresome and 
stupid as well as unhygienic eating. 

REMEMBER that different kinds 
of foods are needed in the same meal. 
For instance, have potatoes and beets, 
not potatoes and rice; beans and 
spinach; not beans and peas. 

31 



REMEMBER that vegetables 
(especially green vegetables) and 
fruits are as much needed by your 
body as meat. 

Below you will find some typical 
menus illustrating these points: 

1 Crisp salt pork, milk gravy, potatoes, 
beets, custard. 

2 Salmon, potatoes, chopped cabbage, 
fried cold cereal and brown sugar. 

3 Baked beans, spinach, apples (evap-* 
orated) and raisins cooked together. 

4 Bean soup (made with milk) fla- 
vored with carrots and onions; 
apple pie. 

5 Rice, bacon and tomatoes (cooked 
together), bread and peanut-butter 
or cottage cheese. 



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